July 2011 – Wood Sheep Month

The new Moon eclipse on July 1 (1:38 AM PDT) begins the month of the wood SHEEP. Sheep are creative, spiritual, and artistic souls who cherish beauty and value the finer things in life. The element Wood symbolizes growth, like plants in springtime. During this lunar cycle, explore your creativity. Immerse yourself in art, beauty, and nature — especially with family and friends; Sheep likes the flock and are not solitary creatures. Sheep tend to be introverted because of their spiritual and contemplative nature, but do not be a Hermit this month.

Some translations refer to Sheep as Ram or Goat. This can be misleading. Ram is a yang symbol of masculinity, whereas Sheep is essentially yin. Ram could be confused with the Western sign of Aries the Ram, but we Sheep have little of Aries’ fiery combativeness. (Instead, Aries correlates to mighty Dragon.) Goat may evoke the Western sign of Capricorn the Goat, but Sheep rarely possesses the drive and ambition to ascend to the mountaintop like Capricorn, which correlates to Ox. Sheep correlates to the Western sign Cancer, the sign of the mother and nurturer. In rare instances, Sheep is referred to as Deer because of Sheep’s gentle nature.

Due to the partial solar eclipse when Sheep month began, some issues may be hidden, not clear, or obscured. So if a situation arises that could become combative, take the high road and be diplomatic. Avoid shouting or any dramatic overtures because that will not work. This is a Sheep month in a Hare year, and both Sheep and Hare love peace. Under their gentle and kind influence, life can be more beautiful and fulfilling, especially for those born in Sheep, Pig, and Hare years.